Monday, June 11, 2007

As of today, Richie is officially in remission. The bone marrow biopsy done exactly a week ago was clear...free of the mutant plasma cells which are the hallmark of multiple myeloma. There is still a small amount of M-Spike protein in his blood, but it's down to a fraction of what was there originally.

Plans are being drawn up now for a stem cell transplant. It's a bit of a scary procedure but Richie's absolutely adamant about going forward with it. I will keep everyone posted about it.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Wow. I'm in a very weird position right now. I find myself having sympathy for Paris Hilton.

It really does seem like Judge Sauer (perhaps an appropriate name for the guy, it's pronounced "sour") has it seriously in for her. Of all the people who have complained about her getting "celebrity justice," it seems like Judge Sauer alone had the ability and the inclination to do something about it. And he did.

So here's where it all stands. Paris Hilton is going back to Solitary Confinement at Lynwood Women's Jail. She's going to do the whole 40 days left on her sentence, not 20 as was originally intended. In other words, she is going to get far worse treatment than the average person who is arrested for violating probation for driving with a suspended license. The average person is allowed to serve out their sentence under house arrest, provided they have the $100/day rental for the equipment. The average person usually only does a week in jail for this misdemeanor. The average person is often given the option of serving an alternative sentence of community service even in the case of someone who can't afford house arrest.

Personally, I would rather see her have to do 80 hours of community service instead of this jailing. It would do far more for her moral correction for her to have to work at, say, the Midnight Mission serving food to homeless people, or on a trash pickup detail like Naomi Campbell had to do. It would mean having to cut those perfectly manicured nails and wear something unfashionable for a change, like orange coveralls, in public. It would mean actually having to work. What a concept!